A Taste of Elation
by RedSharpie
Summary: Snow means colds and fevers and possible frost bite...A cynical Dorothy Ann and a Christmasy Carlos. Oneshot.


**Author's Note:** I'm half Jewish, so I decided...what better thing do I have to do than write a nice, fluffy Christmas fic?  
**Inspiration:** Watching too much _Magic School Bus_ when I'm supposed to be writing relatively large essays.  
**Any last words: **D.A.'s point of view is fun because I can revive my childhood crush on Carlos! xD Enjoy.

* * *

Snow.  
Icky, nasty, cold, torturing snow. 

I absolutely loathe the snow.

Snow means colds and fevers and possible frost bite.  
And who honestly wants to lose three fingers and a toe because they were outside playing?  
No one… that's why snow should be forcibly removed from the earth.  
And if that were physically possible, I would see to it that it would be done.

But it's not.  
So here I am, out of all places I could be, walking in the two-or-more inches of snow that is quickly accumulating into three-or-more inches.  
Why?  
Because my car is the spawn of Satan.  
First the heat quit.  
Then the motor just decided to stop running three blocks from my house.

And of course, all of this coincidentally happens the day stupid ol' Dorothy Ann forgot to put her cell phone in her purse.  
To think, I'm supposed to be the smart one.  
Oh Hell, to think, I _am_ the smart one.

The wind is biting at my face, blowing snow at my numb cheeks and into my eyes. I pull my hat down over my ears and continue on my way.  
_Just two more blocks, Dorothy Ann…you can make it,_ I tell myself.  
_Note to self: New Year's Resolution number one is 'stop lying'._

Getting that ominous feeling that someone is following right behind me, I narrow my eyes and strain my ears to listen for more, but still face forward.

My pace quickens and I can definitely hear footsteps crunching in the snow close after me.  
O jeez.  
Not only am I walking home by myself, in the freezing cold, without a cell phone…I'm going to be brutally murdered by the Christmas Slayer who follows 16-year-old girls with over-active imaginations and no means of communication on Christmas Eve and then slowly saunters up beside them with a machete and the glint of a killer in his maddened, deeply disturbed eye…  
I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"GET AWAY FROM ME," I scream piercingly "I-I'll call the police!"

I hear a familiar laugh and I can feel my cheeks fast becoming warm with a blush.

"Jesus H. Christ, Dorothy Ann," Carlos falls into step with me, wiping at his eyes as laughter falls in short, white puffs from his lips into the freezing air. "What the hell was all that about?"

"Tomorrow's Jesus' birthday, you know…you better get him a good present to make up for taking his name in vain."

Arrogance to hide embarrassment.  
It never works, but I like to pretend it does.

"Aw, jeez, D.A. lighten up…what are you doing walking by yourself this blistery Christmas Eve?"

I look up at him.  
Ah, yes, Carlos.  
My crush for how many years?  
_Too many,_ my subconscious answers for me.

"I should ask the same," I retort, shoving my hands in my pockets and pursing my lips together.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him lift his shoulders in a shrug. "I love the snow," he responds "I wanted to take a walk."

Damn him and his ability to remain nice to me, even in my most horrible of horrible moods.

I sigh before answering his earlier question with, "My car broke down and I don't have my cell phone…oh what a wonderful foreshadowing of the Christmas to come."

Before I realize what's going on, I find myself lying on my back in the soft, yet icily cold, snow. Carlos is half on top of me, having tackled me to the ground, before he rolls off onto his own back, dark eyes shimmering joyously.

"That was completely uncalled for," I huff out, sitting up and shaking the cold, wet precipitation from my blonde hair.

"Why the bitterness?" he sits up next to me "It's nearly Christmas."

Brushing the snow off my shoe, I shrug. "Today hasn't really been the greatest day,"

"You need to learn how to enjoy even your worst moments, you Christmas Scrooge,"

He takes my gloved hand in his and pushes me flat on my back once again before chastely pressing his lips to mine.

A split second of joy.  
A taste of elation.  
A washing-away of the bitter tang of cynicism that hung in the air around me.  
This was Christmas in a kind of intangible tangibility.

Next thing I know, we're both off the cold ground and back to walking through the snow.

The snow that looks a lot less repellent.  
A lot less icky, nasty, cold, and torturing.  
The snow that I find irresistibly pleasant, satisfying, tepid, and agreeable.

The freezing snow that is keeping this ridiculous smile on my face and is slowly warming me up.

* * *

**Author's Note: **O Dear Holy One...save us from the suffocating fluff. Eh...ok. Hope you all enjoyed the wonderfully fluffy DA/Carlos moment. 


End file.
